High-context communications in a low-context virtual world

Singapore mediator Ian Macduff wrote a helpful article, last week, about the differences between low- and high-context cultures, and its’ impact in online mediation.

His piece highlighted the challenges of understanding the meaning behind the message, when the message can mean so much more, or less, depending on the culture of the person sending/receiving the message. And, to double the challenge, trying to understand the message/meaning in a virtual environment; one which tends to favour, big time, direct over nuanced forms of communication.

Building on Macduff’s piece, it begs the question: How do you have a high-context conversation in a low-context virtual world?

The difference between high-context and low-context cultures

Quoting from Macduff’s article:

A high-context culture “is one in which people are deeply involved with each other. As a result of intimate relationships among people, a structure of social hierarchy exists, individual inner feelings are kept under strong self-control, and information is widely shared through simple messages with deep meaning.

A low-context (LC) culture is one in which people are highly individualised, somewhat alienated, and fragmented, and there is relatively little involvement with others. As a consequence, social hierarchy, as well as society in general, imposes less on individuals’ lives, and communication between people is more explicit and nonpersonal.

A virtual dilemma

Raymond comes from a high-context culture. On the low-high communications context continuum, he’s over on the high side. When he interacts with others, In Real Life, he defaults to his high-context cultural norms.

When Raymond enters the virtual arena, some of his high-context ways, simple words with deep meaning, relationship-based, community deference… can easily get lost. In order to get his message across, he adopts a more direct, impersonal approach. All of a sudden he’s out of his element, and operating in a low-context environment.

(It should be no surprise that popular social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube favour low-context communications, given they orginated in the U.S., a highly individualistic society.)

So, how can you, as virtual conversation conductor, move the needle back to a more high-context form of communications, to enable effective communications with Raymond?

After all, the word ‘communication’ comes from the Latin word, communis, to make common. You want to be on common ground with Raymond.

How to add context to a virtual conversation

Macduff makes the point about high-context communicators (in online world) needing to use more communication signals, to create the context of connection that is otherwise absent.